Digimon Tamers: Vinculum
by Thistle21
Summary: Six years after defeating the D-Reaper, a shift in the barrier caused the human and digital world to merge into one. The new world is ruled by an enigma known as the Overlord, who conquered humans and digimon alike. Earth has fallen into chaos. Tamers and their digimon partners struggle to survive, only daring to hope of someday restoring their homes.
1. Together, We Survive - Part One

Together, We Survive - Part One

* * *

Dusk and dawn no longer existed. As Rika walked along the empty street of downtown Shinjuku, the clear day suddenly darkened. The moon, which had not appeared in the digital world, shimmered through the clouds like light through dust. Rika paused, taking her shades off to get a good look at the stars. The composition of the sky, and the constellations that glittered across its velvety surface, were no different than they were six years ago. And yet, nothing was the same, and Rika found herself struggling to remember what the sunset ever looked like.

A thick mist permeated around her boots. Low growls whispered in the dark recesses of the alleyway. Rika turned to the source of the noise, exchanging her glasses for the D-Arc clasped to her belt.

"Rika," a voice resonated in her head. "Rika, don't you remember?"

Rika frowned, her hand freezing just as her fingers brushed the smooth device. Static fuzz jolted across the square screen in response.

"It's still broken. I may not be strong enough to fight whatever's there. We should retreat, for now."

"Not a chance," Rika asserted. "Don't you know how close we are to camp? If we just let it be, it might find them!"

The voice was silent. Then, as swiftly as the change from day to night, a yellow fox materialized at Rika's side. "You're right," Renamon agreed. "It can't be allowed to cause trouble."

The two of them, tamer and partner, stood at nearly equal height, the top of Rika's red ponytail reaching the white tips of Renamon's ears. Rika had changed over the years, whereas Renamon remained exactly the same. In addition to growing taller, the contours of her face had matured, with sharper jaw and cheekbones. Her bangs had grown out, now swooping to the side over her brow. Lilac eyes were round with long lashes, and her lips were full. Her figure, while no longer tomboyish, remained tall and lean. Despite the growth, she refused to wear anything but jeans and t-shirts.

Rika didn't bother herself with these sort of developments. Because, of all the many changes since the destruction of the D-Reaper, being with Renamon again was by far the most important.

She smirked and nodded at Renamon. They turned to the growling alley. They ran in, undeterred by the slowly thickening mist. They came out the other side of the building and into a side street. Three armored dinosaur digimon stood within the flickering circle of the streetlight. They dug through a crate of rations, their assault rifles clanking against their backs.

"Hey! Hey! Move it, blockhead!"

"Claws off! I saw it first!"

"Aww no fair! I wanted that!"

Two of the digimon began fighting over a packet of dried pork, yanking it between them like a rag scrap. Rika and Renamon pressed their backs against the building, hidden in the blade of shadow as they watched. Thankfully, Rika didn't need her D-Arc to tell her who these digimon were.

Commandramon, rookie level, served as the grunts in the Overlord's army. Their only threat was their sheer numbers. Weak and squabbling, they weren't anything Renamon couldn't handle. "Walk all over them," Rika said with a superior smirk.

Renamon nodded, blue eyes streaming as she dashed from the alley to the street. She leapt into the air above the Commandramon, arms crossed. "Diamond Storm!" she called out.

"Eh?" The Commandramon turned their heads up to Renamon, yellow eyes large. Bright white crystals rained down on them, and they instantly began to panic. Jaws flew open and they waved their heavy claws in the air. "Look out! Look out!" In their haste, they ran into each other, falling on their tails. The leaves pelted them. They cried out as they dissolved into red particles of data.

Renamon landed on her knee, gracefully rising as Rika emerged from the alley. "Excellent work, Renamon," her partner praised. She turned to the crate. "Let's get this back to camp."

Renamon raised her head to the sky, ears twitching. The mist pooled up to her thighs, twirling around her tail as she swished it back and forth.

"Renamon?" Rika questioned. "What's wrong? Is something there?"

"I'm not sure," Renamon confessed slowly. She walked over to the crate and picked it up. "We should hurry," she urged.

"Right," Rika agreed. "Let's get out of here." They jogged back to the main street, turning the corner and vanishing into the mist.

A lithe shadow observed them from the rooftop. The mist condensed around her form. Sharp red eyes narrowed into wounded slits. "Bring them to me," a slick voice ordered.

* * *

**A/N: The ages will go by the Japanese version, so the main kids are all sixteen at the time the story takes place. However, I'll be using the names from the English dub since that's what I'm accustomed to. (Blame my childhood self, if you must.)  
**

**Whenever a new digimon is introduced, I'll give their basic information at the end of the chapter they appear in.  
**

**Digimon:**

**Commandramon: Rookie level, Cyborg type, Virus attribute. Attacks include M16 Assassin, where it uses it's assault rifle, and DCD Bomb, where it chucks a bomb.  
**


	2. Together, We Survive - Part Two

Together, We Survive - Part Two

* * *

The packages jostled in the crate as Renamon ran down the street. Because Shinjuku was all but abandoned, they didn't need to worry about cars. Only those aligned with the Overlord were allowed cars these days, anyway. Rika scoffed to herself. What a joke. She hadn't even had time to get her driver's license before all this nonsense happened.

"Rika," Renamon said, skidding to a halt.

Rika pulled a quick stop, swinging her head over her shoulder. "What? What is it?"

Renamon silently stared up at something. Rika followed her gaze, eyes widening. A large digimon stood on the rooftop ahead of them. Combat armor shielded his metal reptilian body. A segmented tail swished out behind him, keeping his two-clawed feet in balance. He crouched down, a combat knife held in his claws. He stretched his neck, opening his maw with a gargling growl, saliva dripping from its sharp teeth and slender purple tongue. It looked similar to the Commandramon, and yet…

"Ugh! What's this guy's problem?" Rika demanded. "And what kind of digimon is he?"

"I'm not sure," Renamon confessed. She dropped the crate, which thudded at her feet, and fell into a battle stance. "But he looks strong."

Rika threw a frustrated look down at her hip, where her damaged D-Arc rested. "Not stronger than you," she insisted. "Right, Renamon?"

Renamon crossed her arms before her. "Right," she agreed lowly, leaping into the air. The lizard jumped after her, kicking off from the roof with powerful legs. "Diamond Storm!" Renamon unleashed a barrage of leaves. With one swipe of his knife, the lizard slashed through the attack. He closed in, slamming a fist over the top of Renamon's head, sending her crashing to the ground with a cry.

"Renamon!" Rika cried, running forward, peering desperately as the smoke cleared.

Renamon let out a groan, pushing herself up from the ground. She winced, forcing her eyes open to look up at the digimon standing before her. "Rika... Stay back," she warned. "He's… powerful…" She faltered and slumped over, eyes falling shut.

The lizard let out an amused laugh. He stood taller, lowering his knife to his side. "Humans aren't allowed outside the Zone," he said gruffly. He pointed to Rika, who stopped in her tracks.

"Yeah, well, we don't very much care for your stupid rules!" Rika spat. She clutched her D-Arc in her hand, knowing full well how useless it was. But she knew they had no chance of beating this guy without so much as a modify card. But with the camp so close, they couldn't just run... If only she could find some other way to make Renamon digivolve.

"Oh?" The lizard tilted his head to the side, a chuckle still rumbling in his chest. "But they're for your own good, little girl. What else would keep you humans from running around unsupervised?"

"Unsupervised is kind of the point," Rika argued, glancing down at Renamon. Dirt splotched her yellow and white fur. Her back swelled with each heavy breath. She wasn't in good condition, but they were out of options.

"Maybe that's how it used to be. But things are different now. If you humans didn't want to share with us digimon, then you shouldn't have merged our worlds in the first place!" the lizard bellowed. He stepped forward, his red monoeye glaring brightly.

"Yeah right! As if that's what happened!" Rika shouted. "Renamon, now!"

"What?" The lizard looked down, raising his blade.

"Power Paw!" Renamon leapt up with a cry, slashing her blue blazing claws across the lizard's belly and neck, connected beneath his chin and sending him flying back.

The lizard snarled, crashing into the streetlight, denting the iron pole with a heavy clang. "You sneaky little…!"

"Sit back and relax," Renamon taunted, lunging forward before the lizard could gather himself. She unleashed a wave of silver leaves, which struck the lizard, erupting in a cloud of smoke. Renamon burst through the smoke, fist pulled back to deliver a finishing strike.

The sound of the blow never came. The smoke cleared, and the lizard was standing, holding Renamon up in the air, clawed fingers clasped around her neck, digging into the collar of white fur. "Renamon!" Rika cried.

Renamon gritted her teeth. A blue eye slid back to her anxious tamer. "Rika… Run," she gasped. The lizard's hand tightened, cutting her off. She stilled, arms falling to her side, tail drooping. Rika froze, eyes wide, mouth agape.

"Hrr…" The lizard tossed Renamon aside like a rag doll. Her shoulder struck the side of a building, and she winced before falling to the ground. He walked towards Rika, head low, tail swishing. Rika took a step back, torn between fear of death and the loss of her friend. "You're right. The Zone is no place for sneaky tamers," the lizard decided. "Once I'm through with you, you're going to Devi's Prison…" He raised his knife. The moonlight slashed off the cruel, jagged blade. "That is, if you're still alive."


	3. Together, We Survive - Part Three

Together, We Survive - Part Three

* * *

The lizard digimon loomed over Rika, sharp teeth grinning. His red monoeye whirred as it focused, the lens twisting into a tiny dot. Rika stared up at the digimon, back bent, arms thrown out. Hot breath, clammy and putrid, steamed against her face. A bead of sweat rolled along the side of her temple. The lizard reached out towards her.

Yellow blurred by. Renamon threw her shoulder into the lizard's side with a snarl. The lizard whipped around, bringing up his arms as Renamon kicked at his chest. He caught her white leg and twisted. Renamon twirled through the air and landed hard on her back.

"Renamon! Get up! You have to get up!" Rika cried, voice cracking. The lizard turned back to her, and she stiffened. He took a step. Renamon grabbed him around the ankle, yanking him back.

"Rika! Get out of here!" Renamon shouted.

"N-No!" Rika defiantly shook her head. "I won't just leave you!"

"Grr… Get off me! You pest!" The lizard delivered a swift kick to Renamon's side. She curled inward and groaned, but refused to let go of his foot. "That's it! No more chances!" The lizard turned the blade and raised it up over his head, poised to bring it down.

"No! Don't!" Rika cried, lunging forward, fist flying towards the lizard. The red monoeye tilted to focus on her. The lizard turned the blade to the side, and swept it towards her.

"Justice Burst!" White hot orbs of energy shot from the sky. They pelted the lizard, exploding against his armor. The lizard roared, stumbling backwards. Renamon released her grip and weakly raised her head to the direction of the attack.

"You!" Rika exclaimed. Relief spread through her body, quickly clouded by irritation. She didn't want help from _him_ of all people… And he was the last person she expected to see in the deserted Shinjuku. "Where did you come from?" she demanded.

"Hey there yourself, Princess!" Justimon greeted, waving two fingers from his helmet to the air. He leapt from the roof, landing between them and the lizard. "Why don't you two sit back and let me take care of this?"

"Ugh. As if you could do any better," Rika scowled. She defiantly crossed her arms.

Justimon looked back at her, chuckling. "You haven't changed a bit," he said fondly. "But don't you think you could show a little gratitude?"

"Raaaargh!" The lizard charged through the clearing smoke, slashing his dagger at Justimon.

"Whoa there!" Justimon swiftly grabbed the lizard's wrist. Their arms shook as they struggled. The lizard snorted with effort. He brought up his leg to deliver a swift kick. Justimon fluidly caught the lizard by his side, lifted him over his head, and threw him back over his shoulder.

The lizard landed on his back. He snarled, glaring up at Justimon. "Freak…! I'll kill you!" he growled.

Justimon turned slowly and stood over him. "Whatever you say," he said, changing to Critical mode. A red beam emerged from his arm, shimmering like a flame. He drew it back, and thrust it forward, piercing the lizard through the chest.

"Hrrr…!" The lizard grabbed the beam of light with his claws. A howl of agony tore from his throat. He flickered and blurred, then dissipated in a burst of red data particles. Justimon held his pose until the digimon completely vanished before standing up and disengaging his right arm. He turned to Rika.

Rika narrowed her eyes. She could practically feel him grinning from behind that helmet. However, her irritation quickly faded as her heart calmed and head cleared. She pushed past Justimon, throwing herself to her knees at Renamon's side. "Renamon!" she called, reaching out for her partner's arm. She hesitated, eyes swimming. They never should've left the camp, not with her D-Arc malfunctioning. What was she thinking? She ducked her head guiltily. "Oh Renamon…"

Renamon didn't open her eyes, but she breathed deeply, showing she wasn't in any immediate danger. "Hey, she'll be okay," Justimon offered softly.

"I… I know that!" Rika snapped. "Renamon's strong enough to take whatever that lizard freak can dish out."

"Right," Justimon agreed. He took a step forward. "But she's worn out, so let me help her."

Rika hesitated, glancing back. "I… need to get her back to camp," she said.

Justimon nodded. "Just show the way," he said. He knelt by Rika's side and gently gathered Renamon in his arms. Rika watched them anxiously, making a small noise of protest, but quickly biting it back. She glared at the ground. As much as she hated to admit it, she really did need the help.

"Fine," she muttered. She pushed off to her feet, stumbling slightly. She shook her head clear and marched off down the street. "This way."

Justimon followed silently. The mist, which pooled around their feet, began to recede.


End file.
